Seeing Kaido's cowardice, Creed couldn't help mocking him, shouting, "Kaido, you're not thinking of running away, are you? You're a Yonko!"
He deliberately yelled at the top of his lungs, his voice rolling out for hundreds of miles!
Who knew if anyone else heard it, but over on the All-Stars' side, they definitely would.
At this moment, the All-Stars had already been completely defeated by Ain and Falkor working together. Seastone cuffs locked onto their wrists, they were imprisoned on a certain small island, utterly listless.
When Creed's words reached them, their eyes went wide as they stared at each other, shocked beyond belief.
Ever since their boss awakened the Mythical Zoan fish fruit and turned into a dragon, he hadn't lost in a very, very long time!
Yet Creed still proved to be a step above.
If they knew Creed still hadn't gone all out in this battle, they didn't even know how they'd begin to marvel.
"Creed, you brat! You! You!"
Kaido trembled in his dragon body in fury, almost eating another punch from Creed—so he hurriedly shut his mouth.
"I'll fight you to the death!"
Kaido suddenly reverted to human form. From who knows where, he pulled out a pitch-black kanabo and swung it violently!
"Raimei Hakke (Thunder Bagua)!"
"Shinryaku no Gotoku (Invasion Like Fire)!"
"Fūgon Kyūten (Wind Root Nine Heavens)!"
One signature move after another came crashing in—each heavier and more overwhelming than the last—showing none of the sluggishness from before!
It was like he'd returned to the peak of several days ago!
Creed knew this was Kaido's final counterattack, so he put away that trace of leisure and turned razor-sharp.
Over these past few days, Kaido had reverted to human form before, but he only used Raimei Hakke (Thunder Bagua) and Shinryaku no Gotoku (Invasion Like Fire). Now he not only brought them out again, he stacked them one after another—power rising without any upper limit!
In a daze, it felt like Creed was facing two Kaidos at once, their power layered together, like standing on a storm-tossed sea where he could be swallowed by raging waves at any moment.
"I didn't expect he was still hiding a trump card like this! Why didn't he use it earlier? He clearly could've used this to break out of his disadvantage."
Yet in the face of this torrential, unmatched force, Creed didn't retreat even half a step—he surged forward instead.
"Shua! Shua!"
Rinne in one hand, Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi (Heavenly Cluster Cloud Sword) in the other—Rinne Nensō Ken'i (Rinne Thought-Creation Sword Intent) and Suichōkin Ken'i (Water-Rushing Gold Sword Intent) erupted once more!
Within them, killing intent and Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) boiled, boosting those two SSSS-level sword intents at explosive speed!
Creed's most extreme Nitōryū (Two-Sword Style)! A slash poured out with everything he had!
Both of them—this was their final strike!
A single blow to decide the winner!
"BOOM!!"
A terrifying explosion roared across the heavens. Dazzling, multicolored shockwaves burst outward, slicing apart a vast stretch of sky. At the point where the two clashed, an enormous spatial rift cracked open—stretching for dozens of miles!
"Rumble—RUMBLE—RUMBLE!!!"
Countless shards of broken void peeled away. The sky didn't just split—it seemed to be shattering. From some fissures, chaotic spatial currents surged out; from others, a breathtakingly gorgeous alien starfield was revealed…
In that instant, Ain and the All-Stars, witnessing this scene, felt as if an apocalypse had descended.
Within the endless radiant glare, a thick, massive body fell, spraying a vast bloom of blood across the skies!
"Who won?"
Even though Ain had absolute faith in her Creed-niichan, she still couldn't help but tense up.
After all, Kaido's reputation as the strongest in a one-on-one had dominated for so many years!
New World, in the conference hall of Marineford's new headquarters, a top-level Marine meeting was being held.
Although many days had passed since the crushing defeat at Totto Land, the atmosphere still hung over everyone's heads. It was heavy and stifling, morale depressed.
After everyone read the decree issued by the World Government, Kong tapped the table and said gravely, "This time, we do it beautifully. We take back every bit of face we lost—today."
"Yes, Commander-in-Chief!"
Everyone present was instantly fired up.
If the defeat at Totto Land had dealt a massive blow to the Marines and World Government's reputation, then this public execution was absolutely the perfect move to reclaim their prestige!
So even as the meeting ended and they filed out, the top brass were still riding a wave of excitement.
After the retreat from Totto Land, the World Government and Marines had practically become the laughingstock of the world—especially in the Four Blues, those usually peaceful seas. For the first time in history, major incidents of pirates attacking Marine branches started erupting.
That was completely different from before, when pirates feared the Marines like rats fear cats. After the great battle at Totto Land, the shape of the world had already changed in a way that couldn't be reversed.
And across the world, revolutionary flames that had been stamped out before were burning again—and the momentum didn't seem small—turning all the World Government's painstaking efforts into nothing.
If the World Government couldn't produce an effective solution, it was only a matter of time before the entire world plunged into turmoil.
But if this operation plan succeeded, it could stabilize a great deal of the situation!
That was why all these high-ranking figures believed there could be no mistakes—battle intent and drive soaring higher than ever before.
Once everyone left, Sengoku looked at Kong and said, "Publicly executing Ace is a brilliant move, but Whitebeard… should we call Garp back? Even though he resigned and went to the East Blue, he probably hasn't gone far…"
After all, Whitebeard had once been the world's strongest man. Though he'd been sick these past years and no longer what he once was, the fearsome power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit still made people wary.
Especially during the great battle at Totto Land—when Creed used it, that heaven-shattering, earth-destroying might had stunned everyone.
And Whitebeard's control over the Tremor-Tremor Fruit would surely be even greater than Creed's. If they truly had to face a man like that…
"Forget it. With Ace's matter, Garp can't escape blame. I only didn't throw him into Impel Down because I'm honoring his past merits and contributions. Letting him leave is already enough. Since he's gone, let him go."
Kong let out a sigh.
They had all kept Ace's matter hidden from Garp—only holding this strategy meeting after he left.
Of course, the biggest reason they only finalized the public execution date now was the news that Creed had left Totto Land, hadn't reached Wano Country yet, and had entered a decisive battle with Kaido.
At the end of the day, in this New World, the only person Kong truly feared was Creed!
If Creed wasn't a factor, then the public execution would be foolproof!
Even if Whitebeard came in person, the result would be the same.
If Whitebeard didn't come to rescue—fine. But if he did, Kong would be delighted!
Wipe them out together. The effect of the public execution would be even greater!
"According to forward scouts, today is the third day. They still don't seem to have decided a winner. They've already wiped out over a hundred islands—fortunately, Wano Country enforces a closed-border policy, so the islands out in those surrounding waters are mostly uninhabited. There hasn't been much civilian casualty," Sengoku said, rubbing his nose.
"So setting the execution for the day after tomorrow is the best timing! Creed won't make it back in time!"
Kong slammed the table hard. "This time—no mistakes!"
(End of Chapter)
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